


There is no escape

by liddell_alien



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Disturbing Themes, F/M, Mind Control, mention of incest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-06
Updated: 2016-12-01
Packaged: 2018-08-29 10:54:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8486608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liddell_alien/pseuds/liddell_alien
Summary: Jervis Tetch hasn't influenced just one life, but many. This is the tragic story of a young mind twisted by madness and lies.





	1. Chapter 1

Gotham City was not a safe place, but it wasn’t the worst place in the world. There were plenty of other cities much worse than Gotham, the one she had just left, for example.

She was used to the crime and the mob, but one thing she wasn’t used to were the monsters that infested the city at night.

Actual living monsters with strange powers and abilities. She was scared and at the same time curious about them.

She had never seen one in person, she’d only read about them in the papers; she didn’t know if she wanted to actually meet one. Probably not.

“Pam!” a grumpy voice called and she almost dropped the empty glass she was cleaning with a damp rag. Her boss wasn’t a very pleasant sight. He was a middle aged man, with greasy, dark hair and a tobacco stench that always wafted around him. “Damn you woman, the clients are waiting!” the grumpy voice boomed again.

As much as she hated to admit it, she was in fact distracted. Once she placed the glass on the counter, she eyed a couple of men, waiting for her to take their orders.

She put on a fake but convincing smile and took out a notebook and a pen. “What can I get you, gentlemen?”

“Beer for me, sweetheart” said the first one. He was wearing a black hat and a dark brown suit, her eyes fell to the shiny badge attached to his belt. She drifted her eyes and met the other man’s gaze – he was a whiskey type, she could tell.

“Scotch,” he answered to her silent question, and she smiled in return.

“Anything to eat?” she asked; they both shook their heads, so she turned around and reached for an empty mug and a clear glass. She gave the men their drinks and returned to her previous task of cleaning the glasses.

For a moment she was tempted to try and overhear their conversation, but her boss was already eyeing her, so she smiled at him and lowered her gaze.

The bar she worked in was small, the lights were dim and the smell of alcohol intense. She didn’t like it, but she had to pay the rent of the smallest flat she’d ever seen – and she also had to eat and feed the stray cat she brought home a couple of weeks before, a week after she arrived in Gotham.

*

It was past midnight when she walked down a narrow street, hugging herself in her coat. A cloud of steam left her lips, it was freezing. The concrete was still wet from the rain of that afternoon, in the distance she could hear the police sirens howling at the night.

She wondered if there were any monsters in the offing. Turning left, the street ended in a spacious underground passage where cars were parked. Two figures with their heads covered by black hoodies ran past her, completely oblivious to her presence.

Someone yelled behind her, but she didn’t turn her head, instead, she quickened her pace and left the car park.

Once the sky was above her again, she looked up and fixed her eyes on the moon. A smile crept onto her lips, as she remembered a sweet lullaby.

_Shadows are falling,_

_the sun says goodbye._

_Softly the moon_

_rises into the sky._

She was almost home. All she wanted now, was a steamy cup of tea, a book to read and a hot shower before going to bed and getting ready to face another day in that dark city.

Her condominium was already in sight. It would only take a couple of minutes. She could walk across the abandoned park that was right before it, or she could go round and spend a little more time in the street.

Despite how cold she was feeling and even though her legs were tired, she decided to walk anyway. With the corner of her eye, she caught a bus stopping right next to the entrance of the park. At least ten people got off, and started to walk away.

One tiny figure, instead, walked into the park, and sat on a swing.

The bus left and without thinking about it twice, she went back on her steps, stopping by the entrance of the park.

Her lips slightly parted, and her eyes a little widened – she could barely believe what or better _who_ was before her.

She could see a young woman, swinging softly, her feet lifting from the ground, she had dark hair and pale skin and was was softly humming a tune she recognised immediately.

She took another step forward and the woman acknowledged her presence. She jolted away from the swing, her eyes widened in fear and confusion.

Raising a comforting hand towards her, she smiled but the woman didn’t flinch. She instantaneously thought back to about two weeks before, when she had met the stray cat and she tried to touch it to comfort it and take it home.

Still smiling, one word came up from her lips. She sounded slightly surprised and yet pleased to recognise the young woman. “Alice...”

 


	2. Chapter 2

For a whole minute the two women stared into each others eyes, silently. Thin drops of rain started to fall from the black sky; they felt like sharp knives on their faces.

Alice was shivering, probably from both cold and fear. “What are you doing here?” she asked, with a firm voice, she was trying to stay cool, but her body was betraying her.

The other woman smiled warmly, and stepped forward. “I left,” she said with a shrug. “Right after you did.”

“Is he-?”

“No.”

Pam looked like she didn’t know what to say. Her smile was sincere, her grey eyes were kind. Alice hugged herself trying to warm up a bit. “I got kicked out of the place I was staying” she said, looking down. Her voice sounded almost ashamed. She was wearing old clothes, too big for her tiny body.

“You can stay at my place until you find another one” Looking up, indecision was written all over Alice’s face. What was she supposed to do or say? She had nowhere else to go, she was alone and scared. Pam didn’t wait for her to answer, before questioning her once more. “Do you have a job?”

Alice shook her head ‘no’, and averted her eyes again. “That’s why I was kicked out. I had no money to pay the rent.”

“I work in a bar. I’m sure there’s a place for you too. You’re pretty and young. Clients love that” Pam laughed, but her laugh was brushed away by a strong gust of wind that shook both of them.

“You don’t have to do this,” Alice’s voice broke; she sighed and looked up into Pam’s eyes – this time, she looked more resolute. “You really don’t.”

Closing the space between them, Pam reached for her and hugged her in a warm hug. “Of course I have to. You’re my little Alice. I have to take care of you, make up for all the times that I haven’t!”

Reluctantly, Alice wrapped her arms around Pam’s shoulder and smiled softly.

*

Pam’s flat wasn’t very spacious. There was only one bedroom and even if she had offered Alice her bed, Alice had decided to sleep on the couch.

They were drinking tea in the living room area, which was also the kitchen. Pam was sitting on an armchair with a sleeping cat on her lap, and Alice was sitting on the sofa, looking at the little table before her.

It was a little messy; there were all sorts of trinkets on it. She recognised a few items, such as a small hookah with only a string attached to it.

“When I left I decided to hide here in Gotham,” Alice’s voice had softened. The flat was warm inside and the sound of the wind outside the window was almost comforting, knowing that she was safe. “I ran into Hugo Strange, I ended up in Arkham.”

“And you escaped along with the monsters,” Pam supposed, sipping at the big mug, looking into Alice’s eyes. She wasn’t even surprised, she was only glad that Alice was okay now.

The young woman nodded, placing her empty mug on the little table. “Why did you choose Gotham?”

“Of all the places, here I felt there was what I was looking for” Pam smiled, she rose from the armchair and picked up the cat, holding it in her arms and handed it to Alice as if it was a baby. Alice held the cat and smiled at it, it started purring loudly when she scratched it’s ear. “You should rest, now. I’ll let you sleep” Pam said, heading towards a closed door, that presumably lead to her bedroom.

Alice sighed and her lips twitched into a sad and tired smile. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep at all,” she admitted with a serious look. “These days I’m having nightmares as soon as I fell asleep. It’s getting harder to rest.”

Pam raised her finger as if to say that she had exactly what she needed. “Wait here,” she said, and left. She went into the bathroom and took something, when she went back to the living room she was holding a couple of pills and a glass of water. “It’s just melatonin, don’t worry. But it’ll help.”

Reluctantly, Alice took the pills and the water from Pam’s hands and swallowed them. Perhaps it was because she was very tired, or perhaps it was because she hadn’t eaten anything yet, but the pills kicked in almost instantaneously. The room spun slowly around her and the purring of the cat was the last thing she heard before she fell into a very deep sleep.

Pam’s eyes followed as Alice fell onto her back and she lifted her legs, took her shoes off and put them on the couch. She reached to take a blanket and placed it over her shoulders.

Once Alice was taken care of, she wore her coat and looked at the cat who was napping next to Alice’s legs. “Keep an eye on her, Chesh” she ordered as she left, locking the door behind her.

*

Inside her left pocket there was her little treasure. A tall guy was standing right before her, she was in a dark room, the lights were flickering and there was a strong smell of bleach and dirt.

The guy smiled, showing a line of perfectly white little teeth. “You’re here again, Red” he stated and her eyebrows rose up to her hairline. She _hated_ when they called her that. It was because of her hair, it was a deep rich red, almost as dark as blood. “Want some happy pills again?”

“No.”

“Uh,” he laughed, and walked slowly towards a table; she followed him silently. “So, what do you want? I have some very, _very_ , luxurious stuff. Don’t know if you can afford it, though, I have to be honest with you. We can work some-”

“I’m not here to buy anything” she cut him off with a sharp voice. Her eyes scanned the little glass bottles in front of her, she didn’t know what was inside them, but they were all of a different colour from each other.

There was one, in a small, thin bottle full of a red substance. She couldn’t tell if it was a powder or a liquid, but it was certainly eye-catching. “The Red Queen?” he seemed surprised. “It’s not something you want to play with, Red.”

Pam took out a small plastic bag from inside her pocket and she handed it to him. “I said I’m not here to buy anything” she sounded a little pissed off.

The guy looked inside the bag and his face went pale. His grin disappeared and it was replaced by a surprised expression. “Are these-?”

“Psilocybe Cyanescens” she finished the sentence, without too much emphasis.

“Magic mushrooms” he finally looked up. “Where did you get them?”

“No comment” she replied with a smirk, “you interested?”

He scratched his head, closing his eyes and breathing slowly. “I don’t know... I should try and-”

“Try them, I’ll come next week and you’ll tell me if you want more or not. We can agree on the price once you have decided” she left the plastic bag there, took a final look at the ‘Red Queen’ bottle, deciding it wasn’t worth the risk of trying something she didn’t know, and then she left, without looking back and without saying goodbye.

Her job was one thing, but she was used to a little more luxury in her life.  
Once she was home again, she was happy to see that Alice was still asleep on her couch. She walked to the little table and picked up the hookah and a lighter. With a smile on her lips, she walked into her bedroom, left the hookah and the lighter on her bed and reached her wardrobe; as she opened its doors, Chesh went to rub his head against her legs and she patted him on the back.

A strong stench of dirt and damp came from it, and she closed her eyes, tearing up a bit. Instead of clothes, there was a small staircase that lead to a secret room. It was supposed to be a storage-room, or something like that, she supposed, but she needed the place for other purposes.

The room was small, dark and warm, the heating was on and it was extremely humid. She turned on the light and a little greenhouse appeared all around her. There were plenty of varieties of mushrooms. Her favourite ones, the Psilocybe Cyanescens, were small and brown, with a large hat. She picked a couple and put them in her mouth, they tasted like dirt and the consistency was gummy.

When Pam was sure that everything was okay, she left the mushroom-room and went back to her bedroom.

She laid on the mattress and reached for the hookah. The aluminium foil, the carbon and the crystals were already in place. She lit the carbon and put it on the top of the aluminium foil, she waited and when the water inside the tank was boiling, she took a long puff.

Swirls of smoke danced into the air and from white they become green, and then blue.

The ceiling became liquid and purple rain started to fall into the room. A grin, a beautiful grin, appeared on the melted paint.

Alice’s face appeared before her, sleeping peacefully as she knew she was on her couch, safe.

Pam sighed, resting her head against the pillow as she muttered to herself, drifting to sleep:

“ _Hush-a-bye lady in Alice's lap_

_Till the feast's ready we've time for a nap_

_When the feast's over_

_We'll go to the ball._ ”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second chapter. I am still waiting to see what happens in Gotham, but I have a few ideas where to go with this story.  
> Let me know what you think, please! And thank you for the kudos!!
> 
> x Lily


	3. Chapter 3

The rain was pouring on Gotham City, it was past midnight but the city never slept.

Weeks had passed since Alice arrived in town. She now lived in her own flat and Pam visited her once or twice a week. It wasn’t perfect, but it was fine.

Pam’s side work was doing okay, her mushrooms kept growing and growing, and she was putting aside quite a lot of money. She had a hidden place where to keep it, she wasn’t stupid – she would have never kept money in the little flat she was living in. It was Gotham, cops could burst in at any time for whatever reason, it wasn’t safe.

Alice didn’t know anything about it, she would have never approved. Alice was a good girl, too good for this world, too good for Gotham – Pam, on the other hand, she believed she had just found her perfect spot in the universe.

The two of them were both working a night shift when it happened.

Alice accidentally broke a glass, she hurt herself and thick red blood sprayed directly in the face of two clients.

The girl screamed as the two men started to attack each other furiously; their eyes were red and they were drooling like rabid animals.

Pam’s heart started to beat furiously in her chest and her sight doubled. _It’s her blood_ , she thought. _Do something_.

Closing her eyes and thinking hard, Pam tried to act while the whole place started to go wild. Alice was hiding behind the counter,  crouched while hugging her legs. She was crying, not because of fear, but rage.

“Alice!” Pam’s voice was barley audible. She knelt beside the young woman and put her hands on her shoulder. “Alice, it’s okay!” reaching towards a damp rag, she helped in wrapping the wounded hand in it. “We have to go, now!”

“We have to—” Alice’s voice was firm and determined.

“I know...” looking for something to use, Pam grabbed a bottle of whiskey from behind the counter and another rag. She poured a generous amount of alcohol onto the rag and inserted it into the bottle. “Is everyone infected?” Pam asked.

It was late, there weren’t many clients, but they were all growling and attacking each other’s throats, biting and pushing and stabbing one another.

“Yes...” Alice whispered, grabbing two other bottles and handing them to Pam.

The two women, headed towards the door, leaving a trail of alcohol behind them. As soon as they were out, Pam lit the rag with a lighter she had in her poket and threw it inside.

The bottle exploded, setting the whole place on fire.

The rain was so thick it was almost impossible to see. Pam pushed Alice away from the burning club, she tightened her hands on her shoulders and looked directly into her eyes. “Alice, listen to me” she said in a serious tone. “Go home, don’t look back. Hide until things calm down, it’s gonna be okay.”

*

Gotham Siren’s was a better place to work. The club was exclusive, the clients were richer and the atmosphere was just different. Pam loved it.

Barbara Kean was a piece of art. She engaged her immediately, her interview was no more than five minutes long. Barbara’s girlfriend – Tabitha, was a little less impressed by Pam’s first impression, but within a week, she was convinced.

It was a week later that she saw him.

A magicians performance, very charismatic ; Pam was sure he didn’t see her, she stayed quiet in a corner of the club, admiring his work.

The morning after, Alice knocked on Pam’s door, crying and shivering. “He’s here,” she sobbed into Pam’s shoulder when the other woman let her into the flat. “A man came to my apartment and told me Jervis was looking for me. He’s here, in Gotham.”

Pam she stayed quiet for a while, thinking. He was fast, she should have seen this coming. “It’s not safe for you to stay here, Alice” she said, getting up and reaching to her coat. “We have to leave, I have a place where you can stay, it’s a container, near the harbor.”

Alice wasn’t pleased to see the mushroom field, but she trusted Pam enough to stay in that place. Pam had promised no one knew about it.

When Pam got home from her hiding place, she found the police outside her door.

“Pamela Knight?”

“Who’s asking?” she smiled, trying to be kind.

“Detective Harvey Bullock. Mind if I ask you a few questions?”

“Absolutely,” she smiled again; she opened the door and invited the man in. He was alone, his gun and badge on display attached to his belt. “Would you like a cup of tea?” she offered, but the man declined.

Detective Bullock and Pam were sitting on her sofa, her cat seemed to like him in particularly. It didn’t seem like an actual interrogation, but she was uncomfortable nonetheless.

“Do you know Alice Tetch?”

“Yes, we used to work together, before the fire. What happened?”

“That’s not important. Have you heard from her recently?”

What did the cops know? They were looking for Alice, not Jervis – why? Pam shook her head no, slowly, sipping at her tea. “I haven’t seen her since then, has something happened to her?”

“She’s on the loose” the detective adjusted his hat and got up, “Thank you for your time, Miss Knight, please if you hear from her, don’t hesitate to come to the GCPD.”

Trying to contact Alice now was the worst thing to do. She was safe, she was safe. Safe.

_Jervis_ , she thought,  _where is he?_

At the Sirens they had no idea where he lived. He wasn’t likely to acclimatise to Gotham’s low standard. Pam knew he would like to stay in a big house, but he had no money.

_That’s not the point. He has ways._

The man he hypnotised the night before, she thought. She clearly saw him whispering something in his ear. To everyone else’s eyes it could have seemed to be a part of the show, but she knew him better.

Getting her hands on the man’s address wasn’t easy. She had to ask Barbara and Tabitha, she had to  _convince_ them to give the address away – and when she arrived, she found him sipping hot tea from a fancy porcelain cup.

“Why, hello there! I wasn’t expecting to see you here!” he greeted her with a smile, letting her inside the mansion.

Pam’s blood froze as she stepped in, looking at the beautiful house. “Where are the owners?”

“Dead, six feet under the ground” he said, and then added, with a sad voice: “A tragic accident.”

Sitting on a very comfortable sofa, Pam crossed her legs and breathed slowly. “We need to talk.”

*

Harvey Bullock was in the interrogation room with Alice Tetch, they had arrested her when Jervis tried to kill Jim Gordon. Yes, she saved his live, but she was still a suspect and he escaped under their noses, which made Bullock uneasy.

Alice started mumbling about his brother and how dangerous he was when Alvarez came into the interrogation room with a file in his hands. “I have something for you,” he said and Bullock stiffened a little.

He didn’t like being interrupted. “This’d better be good.”

He followed Alvarez outside the room and handed him the file. Bullock lowered his eyes to read it. “It is,” Alvarez pointed at something, “these are the result on the name you gave me: Pamela Knight. She doesn’t exist, we looked everywhere. She’s either a ghost, or she gave you a false ID.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comments, let me know if this story intrigues you, feeds are litterally my fuel :)


End file.
